


Safety in family

by Loraygon, Rasberrysmiles, Vibrano



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Poor Jim, Post-Star Trek Beyond, Tarsus IV, but only mentioned, what is this even
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-08-17 12:49:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8144642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loraygon/pseuds/Loraygon, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rasberrysmiles/pseuds/Rasberrysmiles, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vibrano/pseuds/Vibrano
Summary: "The press found out about Tarsus. Someone leaked the files." In which Jim Kirk isn't the only hacker skilled enough to access Starfleet's most top secret files, and Bones has to deal with the fallout.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this crapshoot of a fanfic started out as a dialogue written between me and my friend on google drive, and look at it now. This wasn't supposed to happen, but you're welcome. I hope it hurts good. This has been done before, but quoting my friend "cliches don't exist in fanfic". Enjoy!

“I didn’t think you would try to follow me here.” Jim Kirk was resting his head against the bar counter and staring blankly at the wall. In front of him stood a half-empty glass of whiskey.

“Well, someone has to make sure you don’t do anything stupid,” Leonard Mccoy answered, and couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

He had just gotten off yet another harrowing shift at Yorktown’s medical centre and the only thing he wanted was a quiet night at home. Instead, he had been forced to visit almost every single bar on the entire base until he found Jim.

Whatever annoyance he felt quickly turned to concern as he took in Jim’s appearance. His clothes were wrinkled, his hair looked like he had run his hands through it one time too many and the dark smudges under his red-rimmed eyes were eerily similar to bruises. At some point Jim had been crying.

“This doesn’t concern you Bones. You shouldn’t get involved in this.” Jim’s voice was low and gravelly, barely more than a whisper.

“Jim, everything in your life involves me. If you hadn’t noticed, we’re married.” Leonard touched the simple golden band around his ring finger.

“This still doesn’t concern you. Please let me handle this myself.”

“Jim, I’m not letting you be self destructive just because you don’t want to deal with your problems. When I promised I’d be there for you till death do us part, I meant it.”

Leonard desperately wanted to reach out and take his husband into his arms. Something was so obviously wrong here, and it hurt him that Jim insisted on keeping him out. But Jim kept shying away, a pained expression on his face as he seemed to curl inwards and become smaller and smaller.

“I meant it as well. But Bones, it’s better for the both of us if you keep out of this.”

“Jim, sometimes your bullheadedness goes a little too far, and right now it really really does. The only thing I want is to be here for you, and I don’t care to what price. So please don’t shut me out.”

“Bones... “ The tears had gathered in Jim’s eyes, “I don’t know if I can talk about this.. But you're right… Bones, the press found out about Tarsus. Someone leaked the files.” He couldn’t even meet Leonard’s eyes but kept staring at the glass in front of him.

“Tarsus? Like in Tarsus IV?” A horrifying thought appeared in Leonard’s mind, but he pushed it away. It couldn’t possibly be true. Not Jim, of all people…

“Yes, Bones... I was there.”

For a second Leonard’s entire vision whited out. He briefly wondered how old Jim must have been during the massacre. If Tarsus happened seventeen years ago he couldn’t have been very old. Just a kid really.

“Oh Jim. I had no idea…”

“If you want to leave me I understand. Now that everyone knows they’ll never leave me alone. And no-one wants anything to do with me when I’m like this. I’m so broken Bones, and I can’t let you see me like this.”

He looked up defiantly, and Leonard could see his determination in the set of his jaw. Before Leonard could say anything, Jim got up and started for the door.

“Jim, wait!”

Jim turned around and looked at him sadly for a few seconds.

“I get that you want to leave me. But I… I don’t think I can be here when you do.” He had to fight to hide the sob rising in his throat. “My things will be gone from the apartment by tomorrow.”

Then he turned around one last time and disappeared out through the door.

“Jim!”

Leonard ran out of the bar and scanned the darkness, but Jim was gone. Jim, his husband, had left him. The unthinkable had happened and it was as if the whole world suddenly tilted on its axis.

He screamed Jim’s name until his voice became hoarse and the shouts turned into sobs, but there was no answer. Eventually, he went back inside and ordered a drink, and didn’t stop drinking until the world went blurry and the only thing that existed was the burn of the alcohol in his throat.

***

Leonard couldn’t remember how he got home, but when he woke up the next morning to an empty bed the only thing he could do was to curl up into a small ball. It hurt so much. Jim was gone.

Right then, his communicator plinged, and Leonard reached out blindly to grab it from its place on the nightstand. Several people had tried to reach him during the night, amongst them Uhura and Spock. He also had several messages from Christine telling him to check the news, but he chose to ignore those for now.

His self-imposed isolation was broken when the comm rang again. It was Uhura, and by the looks of it she would not stop calling unless he picked up.

“You have to come over. It’s about Jim” was the first thing Uhura said when Leonard answered. Leonard didn’t feel ready to face her yet though, so he grumbled something unintelligible and quit the call. He then turned his comm on silent and pulled the covers over his head. Within a few seconds he was asleep again.

This time his sleep was interrupted a hard pounding on his front door. Logically he knew that it was probably Uhura again, but as his mind had now cleared a great deal more he realised that the person knocking on the door might also be Jim. Leonard crawled out of bed, muscles sore and head pounding. Disoriented, he plucked the closest shirt and pants from the floor, pulled them on and opened the bedroom door.

What he met was met with was an angry Uhura, her hands on her hips and appearance immaculate as usual, a slightly misplaced Spock scuffling his feet on the floor and looking immensely uncomfortable, and a Jim who tried to hide behind the other two as tears streamed down his face.

“Jim…?”

Leonard could barely keep himself from rushing forwards and grabbing is husband, but something in the way Jim held himself made him wait.

“I’m here to pick up my stuff-” started Jim, but Uhura interrupted him.

“What this idiot is here to do is to explain exactly why me and Spock found him crying hysterically on our doorstep last night. The you two are going to solve whatever this is.”

Leonard sighed.

“Jim, you ran away so quickly last night I didn’t have time to say what I wanted to. Of course I won’t leave you. I could never leave you”

Jim blinked at him with large, wet eyes and wiped his face with his shirt sleeves. He sniffled slightly.

“B..b...bon..es.” His lips were trembling. “Are you sure of what you’re saying?”

It took just two small steps for Leonard to envelop Jim in his arms. Jim was shaking, and Leonard pulled him even closer to his chest. Jim burrowed his face deeply into his shoulder and gripped his shirt.

“Of course I mean it Jim. I love you. However stupid you may be sometimes, James Tiberius Kirk, I love you.”

Jim nodded against Leonard’s shoulder and relaxed slightly.

“Jim, whatever they may say about you, I will always be here for you.”

“Well, I’m glad you boys made up. We’re gonna leave you now”, said Uhura. She looked slightly annoyed but under the façade, she was very pleased. By the looks of it, Spock’s happiness with the issues being resolved was only rivalled by his increasing confusion.

They walked out in unison, and the door clicked shut quietly. Jim looked up at him softly and said:  
“I don’t know what I would do without you Bones.”

“Oh darlin’, you don’t ever have to worry about that. After all we’ve been through, do you really think I would leave you now?”

And it was true, they had been through alot together. The Academy, the Narada incident, the whole debacle with Khan and now most recently Krall and the attack on Yorktown.

“But everyone always leaves me.”

“That isn’t true Jim, I’m here.”

“But mom, Sam, Pike. The list just goes on.”

Leonard looked at him sadly:  
“Jim, I know this is hard for you, but I’m here. And so is Spock, and Uhura and the rest of the crew. You have a new family now, and we all love you so much. I’ve never met a man who could inspire so much loyalty into people, but you’ve done it Jim. You have us all behind your back.”

Jim didn’t respond, and for a while neither of them said anything. Eventually, Jim broke the silence:  
“Can we go to bed? I didn’t really sleep a lot last night.”

“Sure thing Jim, let’s go.”

Quickly they stripped out of their clothes and got under the covers. Both were too tired to do anything other than hold each other tight, safe in the knowledge that whatever may come they had each other.


End file.
